Canvas Kolkata: Theme Pooja 2014 glimpses

So, the Pujas are finally over and the days when This "Canvas Kolkata" is painted in varied hues is due next year. Amidst fervent Pandal Hopping I gave my dear blogging a miss and missed my Blogger friends a lot. So, here is the compensation. Puja Parikrama 2014

Salt lake AE Block: the "Vahan" Saga

Salt Lake AE Block

Salt Lake AE Block:The idol

Surprise Surprise! That is what I call this Salt Lake AE Block Puja,this Puja is not in to "The Who's Who" of the Pujas but it's theme, the execution took the brownie points away from me. The Pandal was dedicated to the "Dev Vahans". The humble Mouse of Ganesha. The all knowing Owl of Lakshmi. The Pride Peacock of Lord Kartick. The Wise and Beautiful Swan of Saraswati. The Brave Lion Of Maa Durga. Made out of waste materials, it sure was eco-friendly. They chose to be modestly thematic with the idol which I liked.

Dum Dum Park Yubak Brinda: Theme Morning Calm

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Dumdum Park Yubak Brinda came out with the Morning Calm Theme. The Ambience and the environment really induced calm in me. Coincidence I went there around 5 am in the morning. To accentuate they had fake Lotuses and "Shiuli" Flowers strewn all around, which looked real until observed minutely.

Dumdum Park Tarun Sangha had Rajasthan, well a part of Rajasthan woven. Look out for The Mahisasura in Green and yellow!

Dumdum Park Bharat Chakra had this beautiful interplay of blue lights, you just feel you reached the other dimension. My time of visit 4 am

Hatibagan Sarbojonin had The Ramayan etched beautifully with hand fans of different kinds. I loved the Durga Idol the most and more so it had its entry at the back door. So, you start from the Goddess and end up meeting The Ravana and look back to see Hanuman

Taking of Opulence and Splendour in Theme Poojas Tridhara Samilani never fails to dissappoint. This year it was all red and fiery with some Buddhist demon in their head for a theme. My time of Visit 1 pm

Deshapriya Park Got in with Kalighat art this year. My Photography took a toll here due to incessant rains and pandal restrictions.

Lake Town Adhibashi Brinda Ramayan on the Birch of a tree. Simply Innovative but then found something missing if compared to the earlier years.

Lake Town Natun Pally Pradip Sangha: Straight out of Africa.

Lake Town Basak Bagan, Ravan and lights. The whole Pandal was made out of "Diyas" of all kinds

Look at the elephant which is the Sanctum for the Mother is all made of Diyas.

Tala Park Friend's Union was Musical all the way. predominantly made out of Plant and a bit of artificial fibre. My time of visit 3 am.

Kumartuli Sarbojonin had every young Doctor, Engineer, MBA nodding in agreement. The theme, well the eternal pressure to excel in academics which your parents or family choose for you

Kankurgachi Mitali Sangha. It was 4:30 am when I reached here somewhat reluctantly. And boy some interplay of light and measurements! Look at this orb it is aligned in such a way so that the light beam at the far opposite end focuses on Mother's Third eye. So much so for five days.

Hindustan Park. All Shakt and All Tantrick need I say more?

Theme Poojas are the recent Pooja Culture. Every year new and innovative
concept come up with set designs never seen. My Photographs captured
just one-tenth of it.

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"These are just old stairs." I mumbled under my breath, half disappointed at my misadventure. This man has once again tricked me into following him in his vagabond wanderings.

"Did you say something?" He looked at me and smiled. I timidly shook my head quickly to indicate a no.

Yes, I am a bit scared of him, may be I am scared that he should not feel that I am not his little kid anymore and I have grown up. That is my Father, ever enthusiast, the eternal nomad and an avid walker.

I guess it is like an addiction for him, he just keeps on walking through streets and alleys. As a kid he would take me with him and I had to run, gallop and skip to catch up with him. With time the addiction passed into me. Winding through those streets, with a half fear and half thrill of getting lost, only to find a new way back home. It is a funny thing, in the end, you always return back to home; a bit grown up, a bit broken, a bit tired, but then you are home.

"If you are not a bit broken then may be you are of no use to me and my attention." I was fiddling with these line in my head, eager to place it somewhere or at some place. It was 7 o'clock in the morning and I was lying down funny in my room. My old man, would be the go to person for this creative urge, but it is too personal. He will gauge the intensity and then things will not be that good for me. The commotion at the living area, got my attention and a sprang to action to meddle into "family matters". I saw Mother and Father staring at the lush bouquet of white lilies lying suspiciously at your door step. My mother was giving an eye full to my father and he sheepishly said, "We have a young lady at home and anonymous admirer at the door steps, Go figure."

So, as I pack my bags again to return to Kolkata from Odisha my mother asks me a question.

"You will be travelling alone in a night train."

I look at her and then the thought strikes, most of the time (99.9%) she does not know that I am travelling alone. The second line of thought is well she is my mother, if she will not worry then who else will.

When I look back in time, it has been over a decade of solo travelling. It started from the time I entered college and luckily this phase is still going strong. I read at places how unsafe solo travelling is for a woman especially in India. However, I believe I am lucky to be born in India and one of the reasons behind is that this country has immense beauty and enigma in every bit and corner (really... "Main toh tera jabra fan ho gaya").

Anyway coming to my point, there are advantages of being a solo traveler and I cannot trade it with company.

1. My Travel My Rules:Have you ever tried going out with a group of people? There…

Started of as a brooding Introvert who wrote dark poems I thought I will die out by the time i reached my 20's but that did not happen. A loner who is in a job where we have to deal with people and I am just loving it. An infidel, a rebel to the social norm, I stood out as the perfect student, daughter, sister, wife, friend just don't know how...An awkward fashioniasta, A forced extrovert... I plan to retire early